Draftsman{3 s device

ABSTRACT

An improved draftsman&#39;&#39;s device for facilitating the drawing of equidistant parallel lines includes an indicating element slidably mounted on one leg of a conventional draftsman&#39;&#39;s right triangle. A portion of the indicating means extends past the leading edge of the other leg of the triangle, and this portion of the indicating means carries a line reference mark for aligning with a previously drawn line. Stop means are provided for fixedly securing the indicating means to the triangle so that the line reference mark can be fixedly positioned with respect to the leading edge of the triangle.

United States Patent [191 Lam et a1.

[4 1 Nov. 12, 1974 97,887 2/1923 Switzerland 33/108 22.663 6/1907 Sweden 33/108 78.661

12/1894 Germany 33/108 Primary Examiner-Harry N. Haroian Attorney. Agent. or Firm-Fleit, Gipplc & Jacobson [57] ABSTRACT An improved draftsmans device for facilitating the drawing of equidistant parallel lines includes an indicating element slidably mounted on one leg of a conventional draftsmans right triangle. A portion of the indicating means extends past the leading edge of the 1 other leg of the triangle, and this portion of the indicating means carries a line reference mark for aligning with a previously drawn line. Stop means are provided for fixedly securing'the indicating means to the triangle so that the line reference mark can be fixedly positioned with respect to the leading edge of the triangle.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures DRAFTSMANS DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 'Thepresent invention relates to a drafting implement In order to draw a series of equidistant parallel lines, a draftsman usually marks off the distances between the lines with a scale and then draws the lines with a conventional right triangle in combination with a T square or other suitable straight edge. Although this method of drawing equidistant parallel lines is acceptable where thelines are spaced comparatively far apart, it leads to problems as the distance between the lines becomes smaller. In this situation, it is often very difficult to accurately measure and mark equidistant spaces with a pencil, and accordingly much care and time must be spent in order to assure that the lines are in fact equidistant. I

In order to facilitate drawing'equidistant parallel lines, a number of devices have been provided. Note for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,505,873; 1,980,884;

2,411,981; 2,573,6ll; 2,663,939; 3,258,844; and

3,427,722. Although the devices disclosed in these patents do facilitate the drawing of equidistant parallel lines, they are comparatively complicated tense and expensive to manufacture. For this reason, they have found little commercial acceptance at this time.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to pro vide a draftsmans device for facilitating drawing of equidistant parallel lines.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a draftsmans device whichis very simple in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These and other objectsa reaccomplished by the present invention in accordance with which'an elongated indicating element is slidably mounted on one leg of a draftsmans conventional right triangle. The lead ing end of the indicating element extends past the leading edge of the other leg of the triangle and is provided with a suitable line reference mark'for aligning with an already drawn line. A scale on the body of the indicating clement associates with a distance reference mark on the triangle, the distance reference mark andthe scale together indicating the distance'between the leading edge of the other leg of the triangle and the line reference mark.

In order to use the inventive draftsmans device, the element is simply moved until the line reference mark on the indicating element is spaced from the leading edge of the triangle by the desired distance, this distance being shown by the scale and the distance reference mark. The indicating element is then locked in place with respect tothe triangle by means of a suitable screw device to set up the inventive device for marking. A start line is then drawn with the leading edge of the other leg of the triangle, the triangle beingused in combination with A T-square or other suitable straight edge in a conventional manner. The triangle is then moved away from the start line along the T-square until the line reference mark on the indicating element aligns with the start line. Another line is then drawn using the leading edge of the other leg of the triangle as a'guide and the triangle is then moved again until the line referespecially useful for drawing equidistant parallel lines.

ence mark aligns with the second line. This process is between adjacent lines can be made very accurate,

even when the distance between adjacent lines is very small. Moreover, setting the distance between adjacent lines only once eliminates repeated fine measurement and marking of distances and therefore allows the draftsman to draw equidistant parallel lines at a much faster rate than possible prior to the present invention. Finally, because the device is so simple in construction, it is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and easy to use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention may more readily be understood by reference to the following drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the inventive draftsmans device;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 4is a plan view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating how the inventive draftsmans device is used to draw a series of equidistant parallel lines.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIGS. 1", 2, and3, the inventive draftsmans device generally indicated at 10 includes a conventional draftsmans righttriangle 12 having a leading edge 14 and a base 16. A mounting element 18 is fixedly mounted'onbase, 16 of the triangle and an indicating element20 is slidably mounted on mounting element 18. As shownin FIG. 2, mounting element 18 takes the form ofan elongatedC-shaped member having a groove 22 therein. Indicating element 20 comprises a longitudinal section ofa cylinder 24 having an inverted T-shaped extension 26'thereon which slidably mates with groove 22 in mounting element 18. The leading portion 28 0f' indicating element 20 extends past leading edge l4of the triangle and also laterally extends far enough-to come into contact with the surface on whichthe device rests as shown at 29 in FIG.

3. A groove 30 is provided in the midsection of indicating element 20, and a vertically extending screw 32 is received in the groove, FIGS. 1 and 3. Screw 32 is fixedly mounted on mounting element 18 at its lower end and carries a compression nut 34 screwably mounted 'on its otherend. With this construction, indicating element 20 can slidably move to the left from the position shown in FIG. 1 until the right end of groove 30 engages screw 32. Moreover, the relative position of indicating element 20 with respect to mounting elementl8 can be fixed by tightening nut 34 on screw 32.

element 20 carries a line reference mark 38for aligning with a previously drawn line. A distance reference .then loosened until indicating element 20 can easily slide with respect to mounting element 18, and indicating element 20 is then moved until distance reference mark 40 lies adjacent the desired distance on scale 36 shown in FIG. 1 to be 1/16 inch. Nut 34 is then tightened so that indicating element 20 is fixedly secured with respect. to mounting element 18, and the device is ready for use.

The inventive draftsmans device is then used in combination with a conventional T-square or other suitable straight edge as shown in FIG. 4, with base 16 of triangle 12 being placed on the straight edge. A start line is drawn using leading edge 14 of triangle 12 in a conventional manner. Thereafter the draftsmans device is moved to the right as shown in FIG. 4 until line reference mark 38 aligns with the start line. This positions the leading edge 14 parallel to and spaced from the start line by the desired distance. A second line is then drawn using leading edge 14 as a guide, and thereafter the inventive device 10 is moved to the right again until line reference mark 38 aligns with the second line. This process is repeated again and again until the desired number of lines has been drawn, FIG. 4 illustrating drawing the fifth parallel line with reference to the fourth. When the desired number .of lines has been drawn, compression nut 34 can be loosened and the device changed to a new setting for drawing equidistant parallel lines spaced apart by a different distance.

As indicated above, a specific advantage of the inventive draftsmans device is that it is very easy to use. This is made possible because setting of the spacing of the equidistant parallel lines need be made only one time, thereby eliminating the need for the draftsman to measure and mark the spacing of each individual line. Moreover, as can be appreciated from the foregoing description, the inventive device is very simple in construction and therefore easy and inexpensive to manufacture. 1

Although only one embodiment of the invention has been described above, it should be understood that many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. For example, scale 36 shown to be positioned on indicating element can be located on mounting element 18 as well. In addition, the positioning of the scale on either of the elements can be varied at will, so long as the scale and distance indicating mark 40 together indicate the distance between line reference mark 38 and leading edge 14 of triangle.12..1n addition, if desired, scale 36 and distance indicating mark 40 can be eliminated altogether with positioning of the second element with respect to the first element being accomplished by reference to spacing already drawn.

Moreover, it should also be appreciated that although the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated above has shown leading edge 14 of leading triangle l2 to be perpendicular to the direction of movement of indicating element 20, leading edge l4 can be positioned at any angle with respect to this direction. Moreover, triangle 12 need not be a right triangle but can be any type of polygon. Furthermore, any type fastening means which will fixedly-secure indicating element 20 to mounting element 18 when desired and also allow free slidable movement of these elements when desired can be employed in place of screw 32 and compression nut 34. Moreover, any type of guiding arrangement, such as a tongue and groove arrangement for example, can be used for ensuring that indicating element 20 slidably moves in the proper direction with respect to mounting element 18.

Finally, it should be appreciated that mounting element 18 can be eliminated altogether provided that the indicating element is so fashioned and mounted on the triangle that it can slidably move in the direction of the leg of the triangle on which it is mounted.

Although only a single embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated in the foregoing description and drawings, it should be appreciated that many modifications can be made. All such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention, which is to be limited only by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A draftsmans device for facilitating the drawing of equidistant parallel lines comprising a straight edge instrument having a base and a leading edge perpendicular to said base; an elongated mounting element fixedly mounted on said base and carrying a distance reference mark; said elongated mounting element defining a groove having a wider base than its top, an elongated indicating element with a tongue projection slidably mounted on said mounting element and mating with said groove, said indicating element having a leading portion extending past the leading edge of said instrument and being provided with a line reference mark spaced from the leading edge of said instrument, said indicating element carrying a scale thereon associating with said distance reference mark, the distance measured on said scale by said distance reference mark being equal to the distance between said line reference mark and the leading edge of said instrument; said indicating element defining a slotwith lockmeans mounted in said slot and secured to. said mounting element to selectively lock said indicating element to said mounting element in a predetermined positional relationship.

2. A draftsmans device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said indicating element leading portion contacts the surface on which straight edge instrument rests.

3. A draftsman s device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said indicating element leading portion has an inner end surface forming a stop.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said lcok means comprises a screw mounted on said mounting element and a compression nut screwably mounted on said screw, said compression nut acting on said indicating element to prevent movement of said indicating element when tightened. I I

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said straight edge instrument is a conventional drafstmans right triangle.

6. A draftsmans device for facilitating the drawing of equidistant parallel lines comprising a conventional right traingle having a base edge and a perpendicular leading edge, an elongated mounting member secured to said right triangle provided with a distance reference mark, said mounting member defining a groove therein and having a substantially C shaped cross-section, an

elongated indicating member slidably mounted on said mounting member, said elongated indicating member having a leading portion which extends past the leading edge of said triangle to define stop means, said'stop means being adapted to engage said elongated mounting member to limit the distance that said elongated indicating member can move along said triangle, said elongated indicating member further having a substnatially T shaped extension portion which slidably mates in said mounting member groove, said elongated indicating member defining a throughgoing slot therein, and further being provided with a line reference mark spaced from the leading edge of said triangle, and a scale placed thereon associating with said distance reference mark, the distance measured on said scale by said distance reference mark being equal to the distance between said line reference mark and the leading edge of said triangle, screw means mounted to said elongated mounting member and extending through said elongated indicating member slot, lock means mounted on said screw means, said lock means being adapted to engage said elongated indicating member and selectively lock said elongated indicating member in a fixed position to said elongated mounting member.

7. A draftsmans device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said elongated indicating member has an curved sur' face opposite said "1" shaped extension. 

1. A draftsman''s device for facilitating the drawing of equidistant parallel lines comprising a straight edge instrument having a base and a leading edge perpendicular to said base; an elongated mounting element fixedly mounted on said base and carrying a distance reference mark; said elongated mounting element defining a groove having a wider base than its top, an elongated indicating element with a tongue projection slidably mounted on said mounting element and mating with said groove, said indicating element having a leading portion extending past the leading edge of said instrument and being provided with a line reference mark spaced from the leading edge of said instrument, said indicating element carrying a scale thereon associating with said distance reference mark, the distance measured on said scale by said distance reference mark being equal to the distance between said line reference mark and the leading edge of said instrument; said indicating element defining a slot with lock means mounted in said slot and secured to said mounting element to selectively lock said indicating element to said mounting element in a predetermined positional relationship.
 2. A draftsman''s device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said indicating element leading portion contacts the surface on which straight edge instrument rests.
 3. A draftsman''s device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said indicating element leading portion has an inner end surface forming a stop.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said lcok means comprises a screw mounted on said mounting element and a compression nut screwably mounted on said screw, said compression nut acting on said indicating element to prevent movement of said indicating element when tightened.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said straight edge instrument is a conventional drafstman''s right triangle.
 6. A draftsman''s device for facilitating the drawing of equidistant parallel lines comprising a conventional right traingle having a base edge and a perpendicular leading edge, an elongated mounting member secured to said right triangle provided with a distance reference mark, said mounting member defining a groove therein and having a substantially ''''C'''' shaped cross-section, an elongated indicating member slidably mounted on said mounting member, said elongated indicating member having a leading portion which extends past the leading edge of said triangle to define stop means, said stop means being adapted to engage said elongated mounting member to limit the distance that said elongated indicating member can move along said triangle, said elongated indicating member further having a substnatially ''''T'''' shaped extension portion which slidably mates in said mounting member groove, said elongated indicating member defining a throughgoing slot therein, and further being provided with a line reference mark spaced from the leading edge of said triangle, and a scale placed thereon associating with said distance reference mark, the distance measured on said scale by said distance reference mark being equal to the distance between said line reference mark and the leading edge of said triangle, screw means mounted to said elongated mounting member and extending through said elongated indicating member slot, lock means mounted on said screw means, said lock means being adapted to engage said elongated indicating member and selectively lock said elongated indicating member in a fixed position to said elongated mounting member.
 7. A draftsman''s device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said elongated indicating member has an curved surface opposite said ''''T'''' shaped extension. 